Discussion Post for Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle
[ID: a light blue book an illustration of two teens on the cover. One teen is an Asian-American girl with long brown hair. The other is a teen boy with dark hair and his face turned away. The teen girl stares straight at the viewer and we can see her ribcage illuminated in white. Colorful butterflies in all shades of the rainbow fly out from her chest and surround the image. The book sits on a white shelf in front of a rainbow assortment of disability reads. An orange daisy sits on either side of the book with a purple heart necklace hanging from the book stack. In front of the book, scrabble tiles spell out “book club” with a pink butterfly to the left. Book page confetti explodes across the shelves.]
Hi bookish friends! It’s time to discuss the #ChronicallyIconicBookClub’s September read CONDITIONS OF HEART by Bethany Mangle!
Our discussion via Instagram group chat will begin October 5th at around 1pm EST and continue through Monday October 6th at our own pace. Let me know on Instagram if you’d like to join! Everyone is welcome! You can also answer our discussion questions in the comments here if you’d prefer…
My thoughts: This book was one of my favorites of 2024! I loved the chronic illness representation (POTS & hEDS) and the main character’s journey (and her rage) felt sooo relatable. I’m so excited to discuss it with you all!
Editor’s Note: As I think you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been dealing with a lot of health stuff and haven’t been too active on IG. However, I’m still hoping to arrange our vote for our next read which we will discuss at the end of November. Please send me your recommendations for a nonfiction read (for November) and a fiction read (for December or January)!
Discussion Questions:
What did you think of this book? (How many stars did you rate it?)
What was your favorite part of the book?
What was your least favorite part?
What did you think about Brynn and her journey throughout the book?
What did you think about the climax of the book and the way Brynn dealt with the main conflict?
What did you think about the “post-COVID” setting of the book?
What did you think about the romance?
What did you think about Brynn’s family dynamics?
What themes/moments/vignettes/quotes in the book stuck out to you?
Was there anything you wish was different/anything about the book you would like to change?